Genome Sequencing Data From Thousands of Healthy Elderly People Now Available

A team from Australia has started to put together the largest collection of whole-genome sequences from thousands of healthy, elderly individuals to date. Researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the University of New South Wales, and Monash University described the strategy behind this resource — called the Medical Genome Reference Bank (MGRB) — in a paper published online today in the European Journal of Human Genetics. “The Medical Genome Reference Bank can tell us much about what it means to grow old but remain well, and is a powerful tool to help us deconstruct the genetics of common diseases,” co-senior author David Thomas, a researcher affiliated with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of New South Wales, said in a statement.